CloneWars 2
by Morten Lassen
Summary: This would belong to a new category (Games - Stars!)


Relevant to the space strategy game Stars!  
  
Disclaimer:  
The names "Bel Riose" and "Synnax" are taken from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.  
The name "Clonewars" is taken from George Lucas' Star Wars.   
  
Note: This was written during a game of Stars! called Clonewars2  
  
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"The Clonewars Incident"  
  
1.  
  
Theodore M. Flynn rushed to the front and slipped into the pilot's seat. He had been sleeping when the proximity alert screamed. He flipped a switch to end the noise.  
  
The Smaugarian Peeping Tom he was piloting was the smallest ship in the Synnaxian navy. The inside of it, consisted only of the cockpit. In front, the controls and screen by his comfortable seat. In the rear, his bunk. A very small waterproof cabin on the left functioned as a shower and toilet. All in all 5½ cubic meters. Needless to say that all SPT pilots were thoroughly tested for claustrophobia.  
  
The scanner revealed a tiny dot, approximately 50 lightyears out. According to Theo's calculations, the ship out there would not have detected him. This ship had been equipped with the latest in cloaking technology before he left the starbase on Marion. He put his scout to a complete halt, and studied the foreign ship's specs. It was of Hive origin; a frigate.  
  
What was The Hive doing in Celestoid space? "Oh well.." he uttered, and transmitted a coded report back to Operations. "Let the intel guys figure it out."  
  
Theodore was on a reconnaissance mission in an unarmed scout. Deeply into enemy space. He was to avoid all contact, whatsoever. Also with friendly ships.  
  
The Synnaxian empire was preparing the forceful annexion of the neighbouring kingdom of the Celestoids. Relations had always been neutral with them, but the Supreme General of the Synnaxian's combined Military and Naval forces, Bel Riose, apparantly wanted to see some action, and had convinced the emperor that it was a good idea.  
  
Theodore plotted a course to avoid the Hive frigate, and set a new series of waypoints to get him to his goal: the Celestoid homeworld of Chubs.  
  
He was still a bit groggy after the sleep he had been wakened from, and poured some instaCoffee.. According to what he had heard, communications with the Celestoid government had been completely non-existant since the initial series of Synnaxian attacks. A couple of the Celestoid borderworlds had already fallen. Rumors said that there had been virtually no defensive efforts by The Celestoids.  
  
While 'The Peeper' was already working it's way to the first of the waypoints Theo had specified, he leaned back and enjoyed the coffee. 47 hours until it would be reached. He watched for any changes with the Hive ship. It was quickly getting out of range of his scanner, as he was moving away. Good, he was still undetected.  
  
Most of the time, being a scouting pilot was a tedious job. Theodore was content with it, though. His grandfather had also been in the Navy, but as a captain on a Spider Class cruiser, during the Denari Invasion. He had seen some real action. Granddad took many an opportunity to tell little Theo about his deeds, when he was a kid. But that was not for Theodore. He kindda liked the silence and lonelyness of the long scouting missions.  
  
This was his third mission into foreign space. His first mission was to travel through a wormhole, deep into Drokol space. It was an intelligence gathering tour. The Drokol was a hostile race in the opposite end of the galaxy.. He had been dodging several cruisers and destroyers, before escaping into allied Gulpie space.. That had been his most dangerous mission. He was hoping that this one would be less intensive.  
  
  
  
  
  
2.  
  
Upon approaching the Chubs system causiously, Theodore was wide awake and on full alert. Seventeen dayCycles had passed, since the minor incident with the Hive frigate. Soon he would be in range for his penetrating scanners to reveal what fleets and other means of defense the Celestoids would have in stock here. It was strange, he thought, that he hadn't encountered any patrols.  
  
The distance between his waypoints now, was very small: he was closing in, being real careful. As procedures dictated, he transmitted a status report back home, before he made the final move. Theo had to sneak thru the perifery of a defensive minefield, in order to get close enough. He was now within range of Chubs: The homeworld of the Celestoid kingdom. He expected to see huge amounts of battleships, cruisers, and at least an ultrastation for planetary defense.  
  
A couple of privateer class transports, a standard hull spacestation, and a few minelaying frigates. He could hardly believe his eyes.  
  
He creeped back out of the minefield. Away. He was in deep space, awaiting further orders. Orders ticked in only a couple of hours later.  
  
"Head for the Atropos cluster, and inspect all Celestoid systems there. Another 2 Celestoid worlds has fallen. No defensive fleet operations, only automatic planetary defenses. It seems that The Celestoid race is an android species.. for some reason they have stopped functioning. Specimen were examined on newly captured Allegro; their life-functions are stable.. just no brain activity."  
  
Theodore was baffled! It must have occoured just as the Synnaxian offensive began.. Maybe they had a collective mind, and that mind short-circuited because of the sudden stress?? He would propably never find out..  
  
  
  
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See this story with a couple of images on it's place on my Stars! fan suite:  
http://www.danbbs.dk/~apc/ml/stars/incident/sptlog.htm  
  
the mainpage is at:  
http://www.danbbs.dk/~apc/ml/stars/starplayer.htm  
  
My homepage:  
http://www.MortenLassen.dk  
  



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